The Complete Stories

Staff Pick

When friends tell me to pick a book for them to read that I really like, this is the one I give most often. Brilliant, wacko, kooky, sharp short stories from one of my favorite writers. Recommended by michelle, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The only available collection that brings together all of Kafka's stories — those published during his lifetime and those released after his death.

Review:

"An important book, valuable in itself and absolutely fascinating." New York Times

Synopsis:

The Complete Stories brings together all of Kafka’s stories, from the classic tales such as “The Metamorphosis,” “In the Penal Colony,” and “A Hunger Artist” to shorter pieces and fragments that Max Brod, Kafka’s literary executor, released after Kafka’s death. With the exception of his three novels, the whole of Kafka’s narrative work is included in this volume.

About the Author

Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. Although his passion was for writing, it never served as a livelihood and only a handful of his stories were published before he died of tuberculosis at the age of forty. Though largely unknown during his lifetime, he has come to be regarded as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. His short story "The Metamorphosis," originally written in German in 1915, is considered to be his masterpiece.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

manwith7talents, October 23, 2007 (view all comments by manwith7talents)
The key to understanding Kafka lies in his short stories and parables. Although it is well known that Kafka is a brilliant analyst of power and power relationships, the flip side of this is his conception of freedom. For Kafka, freedom comes from the painful stripping away of illusion and pretense. Because of this, freedom can be found even in the most desperate and oppressive situations. This is where Kafka takes on a profound spiritual quality, where freedom and individuality can be asserted even when power seems to overwhelm the self.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(9 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)

When friends tell me to pick a book for them to read that I really like, this is the one I give most often. Brilliant, wacko, kooky, sharp short stories from one of my favorite writers.

by michelle

"Review"
by New York Times,
"An important book, valuable in itself and absolutely fascinating."

"Synopsis"
by Random,
The Complete Stories brings together all of Kafka’s stories, from the classic tales such as “The Metamorphosis,” “In the Penal Colony,” and “A Hunger Artist” to shorter pieces and fragments that Max Brod, Kafka’s literary executor, released after Kafka’s death. With the exception of his three novels, the whole of Kafka’s narrative work is included in this volume.

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